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1

Q & A / Re: How to keep my chin stimulated/engaged.

« on: June 21, 2015, 08:55:05 PM »

Great, well thank you very much for your ideas. I'll probably buy the lumber this week and get to work. I will post some pictures when I'm done, or maybe even in progress to see what you think. This should be fun.

2

Q & A / Re: How to keep my chin stimulated/engaged.

« on: June 18, 2015, 12:57:09 PM »

Oh, wow. If that is your Facebook, I have the exact same cage. I absolutely love what you've done with it. I never considered removing the middle barrier. There are so many possibilities that way. I'm thinking of how to incorporate a tube somewhere in the design, but what material would be suitable? Is PVC a no-no? One question, though. How do you control the mess? Do you get a lot of waste falling out of the cage and/or spots of urine being absorbed by the wood? I imagine that would begin to smell. I was thinking of replacing the bottom floor with a 2'x3' plastic tub that I can fill with Aspen shavings to make it easy to clean, but I can't find one that exact size.

3

Q & A / Re: How to keep my chin stimulated/engaged.

« on: June 17, 2015, 09:33:40 PM »

Thanks for the tip about the hay ball. I don't have wooden shelves. It's a metal cage with plastic trays for flooring and plastic shelves. It's a wire mesh running wheel (very small openings so he can't snag his feet in them) that spins on two metal posts. Every time I put it back on the posts he immediately and purposely yanks on the bottom of the wheel until one side unhinges and it doesn't spin anymore. It's the strangest thing.

I have always been hesitant to give him wood because I don't know which kinds are acceptable and much of what I read sounds like conjecture and I haven't felt comfortable. Which types of wood are safe? I am very handy with tools and would love to come up with some sort of fun, interactive toy or setup. What do you think might catch a chin's attention most? Things that spin maybe? A lot of movement? Sounds? I'm really up for trying anything at this point to get him out of this rut and away from chewing on the bars. He'll even chew on them while lying down. I don't think it's healthy behavior at all.

4

Q & A / Re: How to keep my chin stimulated/engaged.

« on: June 16, 2015, 08:49:05 PM »

I have the running wheel, which he purposely renders useless for some strange reason, a hanging chain with wooden blocks threaded on for chewing and a bell at the bottom, a hanging ball that holds hay, and I'll occasionally throw in a toilet paper roll. I'm just worried that he's become depressed or something along those lines.

5

Q & A / How to keep my chin stimulated/engaged.

« on: June 16, 2015, 12:06:28 PM »

I got two male chins around 2007/2008. Unfortunately, one passed away in March of 2013 after they both fell ill. The chin that recovered has done relatively well, considering he had never previously been alone. However, I am finding it more and more difficult to keep him stimulated. I built a pen for him to be able to run around in the grass outside, but he just sits in a corner of the pen and seems to prefer his cage over everything else. But while in his cage he only purposely unhinges his running wheel and chews on the bars in a specific corner. He does not enjoy being handled much, either. I just wanted to know if anyone had any ideas on how I can keep him stimulated. Perhaps an interactive toy or something along those lines. Any help would be greatly appreciated.